Back To Basics Complete
by Vryce
Summary: "Keeping the Faith" pt 2. Set after "The Demon Within", Faith has to deal with the prison's Vampire problem. But how does a girl with no weapons or allies do that? Answers inside.


Author: Vryce  
Disclaimer: Faith, Buffy, Angel, the Scooby Squad, and all the rest are property of Joss Whedon, the WB, UPN, the Kazukis, Sandollar, Mutant Enemy, and whoever else they belong to. This story was written purely for entertainment purposes and is not profiting me, the author in any way. So please don't sue me.  
Distribution: Please email me.  
Feedback: Again, please email me.  
Author's notes: This story takes place after the "death" of Buffy Summers as well as a little after the events of "Demons Within" So I suppose you could place this as happening about a month and a half to two months after Buffy's "death". 

  
  
  
  


Back To Basics 

  
  


Faith sat with her back to the wall of her cell; her head turned to let the early rays of morning fall upon her face from the window. For the first time in what seemed a long, long time, she was finally out of Solitary. She found that for some reason she no longer felt so empty and hollow, and as such, she seemed more capable of dealing with things. Her long pale complexion was beginning to return to normal and she found that she wasn't as depressed as she normally was. She simply felt, better somehow. Like she was finally starting to get a handle on that wacky ride she called life. So there she sat on her bunk, back to the wall, eyes closed, listening to the soft footfalls of a guard as he walked the block. As acute as her senses were, it seemed as though they had become even stronger since 'that day'. She could hear the chatter of a few inmates further down, as well as smell the faint fragrance of cologne as one of the guards passed her cell. She was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe; she might be able to get her life back in order. 

She knew the first step would be to learn how to interact with others, so when time came to go down to general mess, or out to the yard, she no longer refused. She started trying to talk to her fellow inmates, and after a while started to realize that not all of them were as bad as she thought. Even during the times she wouldn't speak, she would sit and listen to them just the same. Genuinely listen. It seemed as though it was actually doing her some good. While it is true that she didn't smile, she did realize that just sitting there with the others and talking with them made her feel a lot less alone. It was human contact, and it was something she needed. Of course, no good deeds go unpunished, so even while she was able to develop relationships with a few of her fellow inmates, she knew that she could never be friends with any of them. She was ok with this though, content to just be alive and well. She didn't so much mind listening to what they had to say, especially since they listened to her, without trying to delve into her past too much. 

But as always, the stable moments were not to last. She had been socializing for a few weeks and had started to notice the things the others had noticed long before. Things that shouldn't be happening, especially not in a prison. She had noticed that girls would often come into the yard or the general mess looking quite pale and weak. She had heard screams in the night coming from other blocks before, but had always thought it to be some guard forcing himself onto another helpless girl. But now that she was among the other inmates, she could see the discoloration in their skin and the scared, almost terrified look in their eyes. At least she could in the ones who where still around. All to often she heard stories of girls simply "disappearing" in the middle of the night, only to be found a few days later somewhere down in the bowels of the prison, dead. She heard the stories of how the guards would take some random girl for no apparent reason, only to have the girl never be heard from again. Faith new the system was corrupt and suspected that the guards were taking girls aside and having their way with them, threatening the lives of any that tried to tell, and killing the few that did. 

Even hearing about all this and knowing what she knew, she still wasn't prepared for what happened next. No matter what anyone might have said, might have tried to tell her, she wasn't expecting the nightmares. Not the nightmares she suffered from a few weeks back, before her talk with Buffy, but new nightmares, with a different kind of monster. A monster she didn't expect to find here of all places, though in hindsight she should have been able to put the pieces together. Girls turning up missing or found dead. Others were walking around like they had seen a ghost or some other such demon. Screams of utter terror ringing down the halls in all hours of the night. And now the nightmares. 

There were Vampires in the prison.

And yet, the realization of this only made the nightmares worse, more vivid. She could feel the death wafting off the creatures as she watched them in her dreams. She could see the grimy texture of the Walls, hear water dripping into a puddle nearby, and feel the oppressive heat of steam as it seeped out of pipes nearby. Faith knew she had to do something, but what? How could she possibly get out of her cell in the night to go slay Vamps without anyone knowing? She paced her cell morning after morning and night after night, her mind racing for a way to sneak out and do something about the prison's "little problem". She didn't have to many options open to her, at least, ones that wouldn't get her sent to solitary anyway. She could always knock out a guard and take his keys and then hunt the vamps down on her own terms, but between the guard eventually coming to and all the security cameras she would most likely get caught before much good could be done. Sneaking out of the cell itself was something Faith neither had the skill for, nor the want to do. All she knew was that there were vamps that needed to be dusted, and that she was the one to do it. 

But as always, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place on the matter. She feared and fretted over the safety of the other inmates for a little over a week before she finally came up with an answer. She had to admit, this whole planning thing was a lot harder than it looked. But nevertheless, she had something. It had come to her while she sat in the yard one morning thinking about which of her fellow inmates was being assaulted at the moment. It was then that it struck her that the Vamps could be hunting and feeding in the daytime. After all, they were indoors, and down in the bowels of the prison, sunlight was a complete nonissue. She mentally cursed herself for wasting so much time and immediately left the yard to find a guard. If the Vamps were going to hunt in the morings, then so would she. 

Of course she couldn't just roam freely about the prison in her venture, but there were ways around that. So simply imagine the surprise on the guard's face when she asked could she have extra shifts on laundry detail. Granted she'd have to find some way to sneak away from the guards who watched the laundry detail, but being in the laundry room would get her nice and close to the boiler room and the rest of the beneath ground tunnels. And it would do it nice and legally too. Unfortunatly she had to wait a full week before she would be able to get her shifts on laundry detail. She took the news somewhat hard, every fiber of her being telling her that's what she needed to be doing. Hunting. Staking. Slaying. It seemed as if she was trying to get back into the natural rythm of things, but everything was against her. But she didn't stay daunted long. 

After the first few hours of the first day, she was already pondering where she could get stakes, or at the very least something wooden to use as a make shift stake. The pencils in the libray and Prison Psychologist's office would do in a pinch. How could she get past the guards though? That was something she wouldn't be able to figure out until she saw them firsthand. Fortunately for her however, that oppurtunity came sooner than she thought in the form of another inmate being placed in solitary and thus pulled from her work shift. Faith was a replacement for only two days, but those two days were enough. As she slowly strolled past the guards, pushing her cart, she could see their eyes darting around as if expecting something to happen. She could feel their uneasiness permeate the room, and could detect their eyes on her when her back was turned, her dark hair and somewhat pale skin seeming to make them all the more nervous. 

By the end of the second day, Faith was begining to think that there was more going on then she first expected. The guards had seemed more nervous around her then they should have been. And truth be told, it didn't even seem like they, or the other women on her shift were at all afraid of some random vamp attack. No. It seemed more like they were more concerned with just making through the shift. Something in her gut was telling her that bad things were happening, and that she needed to take care of them soon. 

The next morning, a morning when she should have been on a routine schedual, she was told that she would be on laundry detail again. This wouldn't have bothered her so much if it hadn't been for the look in the guard's eyes when he told her, and the underlying tone in his voice as he spoke. And worse yet, this was a guard she knew and beleive it or not, somewhat trusted. And yet, when he spoke it wasn't in the lighthearted manner in which he normally spoke, but instead, he seemed almost sad and offset, like he had just recieved some news he didn't like. It occured to her that perhaps he had recieved some news about a member of his family, but when he refused to meet her eyes, she knew something was amiss. Even more alarms went off in her head when he handcuffed her, something he hadn't needed to do in nearly a month, let alone when she was supposed to heading towards the laundry room. 

"You got me jewelry. How sweet." she quipped as she raised her wrists some to look at the cuffs. 

The guard didn't respond as he nudged her on, escorting her towards the laundry room, though Faith already knew that wasn't were they were heading. She may have been an inmate and a prisoner, but she was still a Slayer, "The Chosen One" as it were, and she could smell a setup a mile away. Hell, she had even been involved in a setup or two in her day. She snorted. 

"What?" the guard asked her, unsure about her easiness.

"I just caught myself thinking about my glory days." 

"I bet." 

"No really. You should have seen me in my prime. I was one badass ninja action chick." 

The guard couldn't help but laugh some as he opened a door leading to one of the 'lesser' used tunnels. Faith didn't bother doing the whole 'Why are we down here? This isn't the laundry room." thing. She knew better. She simply looked upon the guard as he tried to apoligize with his eyes, and gave gave him a knowing look and nod. 

"It's ok. Beleive it or not, this is where I needed to be anyway. You know me. Gotta be where the action is." 

The guard didn't respond and instead simply backed out, closing the door behind him. Faith could hear him lock the door as the tunnel became draped in darkness, the light from the room behind her being cut off. Faith wondered what she had done to garner such 'special attention' as her eyes quickly adjusted to their new low light situation. Her little introspective was cut short however as a few lights flickered on, causing her to squint a bit. Even with her temporary blindness, she could still tell there were others nearby. It wasn't so much that she could see or hear them, but that she could feel them. And that could only mean one thing. There was some dusting to do. 

She began to slowly make her way down the hall, taking it step, by step, by step as she let her Slayer instincts take over. A small knot in the pit of her stomache told her that she was drawing nearer by steadly growing with each step she took. She could feel the death in the air as her ears listened carefully for any sounds indicating motion. The last vamp she had tangled with had been Angel, and she wasn't quite able to take him. And that was when he was holding back a bit. The last thing she wanted at the moment was for some lucky vamp to get the best of her on her first day back. She didn't let thoughts of death upset her though, nor did she even pay them much mind as she felt her body slip back into a rythm of sorts. Her heart was steady, her nerves calm, and even her mind was at peace. That was, untill she saw the three of them step out from around a blin corner. 

Three guys. Typical Faith though. Every guy's dream to be surrounded by chicks right? And if that wasn't bad enough, they were sloppy, even by her standards. The one standing a bit in front of the other two, their leader Faith guessed, was dressed in tattered blue jeans with the knees completely gone, a red flannel vest, and no shirt. And to top it all off, he had the nerve to have his hair oily enough to catch fire should he walk to close to an open flame. The two behind him weren't at all better, their hair just as oily and their matching black jeans just as tattered. They did have to decentcy to wear shirts however. One wore a faded Metallica tee shirt, and the other what seemed like a realitivly new wrestling shirt of some kind. Just based on sight Faith was sure she would have little trouble taking them, stake or no stake. When they spoke however, she was certain of it. 

"Well well well, what have we here?" the lead vamp asked. 

"Looks like a new little tasty. Though I would have liked one with a bit more color." Metallica responded. 

Faith couldn't help but smile, a small laugh escapinmg her. They honestly didn't know. How could they of all people not know? She took note of the look on their faces as she laughed and decided she had better say something to deflect the bum rush. 

"Sorry guys, it's just that I lluagh when i'm terrified." As hard as she tried, she couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice nor the smile off her face. "I mean, c'mon. You guys sure you wanna do this? You don't even know If i've had my shots." 

"Listen chic, you ain't our first choice, but when the warden wants a favor, we're always willing to help." 

"The Warden? Why does she..." Then it occured to her that the warden was probably having her strings pulled by the Council. "Nevermind that. So, you three funboys ready? I mean, I just feel I should give you fair warning since no one else did. I mean, c'mon guys," she stretched out the 'guys'. "...what do you really know about me? Huh?" 

"All we know," The leader chimed in, "is that you're dead." 

And then the bum rush came, all three of the vamps converging upon her in unison. Faith tried to take a moment to weigh her options, but before the concept could even finish forming in her mind her Slayer half took over. It was as if her body was moving on it's own accord, almost as if reacting to some sort of muscle memory. For a moment Faith had an out of body experience, watching as three vamps moved in on some helpless, handcuffed young girl. She watched as the girl brought her hands close to her chest and lashed out with a swift kick, catching the lead vampire off guard and nailing him in the chin. God, even as she watched the girl fight, she knew it was herself. She could feel the contact of foot with face and feel the slight vibration as his body hit the ground.

For a heartbeat Faith was content to simply sit back and watch, but she knew she couldn't just let things flow and hope for the best. She had to take action. So when the one in the wrestling shirt threw a stiff right, it wasn't some girl who ducked the blow, it was Faith. It was also Faith who reached out and grabbed him just behind the shoulder, yanking him down as she brought her knee up sharply into his stomache, dazing him long enough for her to push him head first into a wall. After watching him bounce off the wall and onto the floor, she turned around just in time to see the other two coming at her full speed. Instinct taking over, she leapt up into the air, each of her feet meeting the chest of one of the oncoming vamps.

Even as her shoulders touched down on the concrete, she was already moving to get back to her feet. She had to think fast. She had no stakes, and she didn't want to snap the cuffs and lets them, and everyone else, know she was a Slayer. Since fire and Sunlight were going to be a nonissue as well, that left her with only one viable option. And that wasn't going to be easy so she figured she'd best start soon. As the wrestler came at her again she let strength, speed, and self preservation take over. Her left foot lashed out and bent his right knee at an unnatural angle, causing him to drop to the ground in excrutiating pain. Turning some, Faith deleived a left hook kick to the two approaching vamps to keep them off her back a moment as she then circled the wrestler, coming to a stop behind him, one knee in his back and her cuffs around his neck.

She looked over at the other two as they swiftly rose to their feet, and interlocked her fingers together beneath the down vampire's chin. Not wanting to waste any time on foolish explanations or cute one-liners, she yanked back on the vamp's chin as she pushed out with her knee, watching the look of utter shock on the faces of the other two as her move gave her the wanted results. There was a popping noise heard as the vamp's head was pulled futher back than it was intended to go, followed by Faith stumbling forward some before she could regain her footing, a light hail of dust falling about her feet. The other two vamps looked at each other for a moment, unsure as to what they should do, and then looked at her once more, now seeing something there they hadn't noticed before. Something that turned the shocked look on thier faces to one of utter terror.

There was a Vampire Slayer in the prison.

They stood there a heartbeat. Two. Three. Faith could see the resolve forming on the leader's face, and the terror spreading across the other's. She knew she would be seeing the back of that Metallica tee shirt almost before he did. See could almost 'feel' their intent. Her body and mind were slipping back into a type of Natural sync that very few could ever hope to experience, and that fewer still actually would. Four heartbeats. Five.

And Metallica took off.

And in classic standoff style, Faith and the leader used the lesser vamp's sudden motion as their cue. As he dashed towards her, his massive frame moving a step or two faster than it should have, Faith's own body, moving much faster than it should, barreled into his midsection shoulder first. And though her frame was smaller, her greater speed allowed the impact to go in her favor, the larger man toppling backwards, Faith landing hard on top of him.

She wasted little time in her efforts to dispatch her foe, lacing her fingers together as she brought both hands above her head. Still dazed, the tattered jean clad vamp never saw the grim expression on her face or the slight glint of the metal cuffs as she brought both fists down onto the bridge of his nose, snapping it in two. As one hand came up out of reflex to clutch at the searing pain in the middle of his face, the other swatted Faith off of his persons and onto his left side. And although most would have seen this as a move in the vamp's favor, leave it to a Slayer to find a way to use it to her advantage. She didn't so much see him start to roll towards her, as much as she felt that he was about to. So when he started to reach for her with that large right hand of his, she was ready. Her legs darted out to either side of his head and locked ankles just at the base of his skull. The vamp's hands immediately clutched at her legs, his eyes narrowing as he found his efforts to free himself futile. 

His eyes however, didn't stay narrow but insted went wide when he felt her squeeze. It was in that instant that he realized what she was attempting. He struggled to get to his feet, but to no avail as his efforts were thwarted not only by her applying more pressure, but by her sudden twist. The twist of those powerful legs, coupled with the pressure she applied not only managed to cause the vampire to flip, but also caused that welcome 'pop' she was looking for. Faith stood up, brushing off her pants and shoes, entertaining the thought of chasing the now long-gone vamp. She dismissed the thought though, thinking at the very least the scare she put in that boy would keep him away from the prison for a good long while. She smiled to herself, knowing she had just done a good thing. She had taken care of the prison's vampire problem, or at the very least, taken a bite out of it, no pun intended.

She turned and headed back down the hall, back the way she came. It was time to go back up, and she wanted to sit in the sun a bit, maybe hit the excercise yard and work off some of the tension she was feeling. Funny how she always took it for granted before. It was a feeling she actually missed, being all worked up after slaying. Of course she wouldn't be able to get the type of release she wanted, but a little excersie and a long cold shower ought to tide her over. As she reached the door she could hear what sounded like a man pacing back and forth, over and over again. The guard she figured, waiting to make sure the job was done. She smiled a little wider now, thinking of the look on he'd get on his face when he heard her voice. Then it struck her, wiping the smile completely away. After all, she was supposed to be dead.

What was she going to tell the guard?

After all, he was sure to have known about the Vamps, she could tell by the look in his eyes as he had led her down there. But that also meant he was going to expect her to be dead, and with good reason. How many chicks do you know that can fend off three bloodsucking vamps without so much as breaking a sweat, or a nail? And while handcuffed to boot. There was no way she was going to be able to explain what had happened. Not without giving away to much anyway. But nevertheless, she had to think of something, and quickly too. 

The guard was opening the door. 

A very large part of Faith's mind was scrambling, searching franticly for what she was going to say. And yet, at the same time, something deeper within her was as calm as she had ever been, just knowing that whatever she said, it would somehow work out. This inner knowledge didn't help to calm her nerves any, however, as the door slowly crept open, squeeking on it's hinges. He must have been coming in to see if they had finished with her yet, after all, three on one really shouldn't have taken very long. Faith found herself subconciously taking a step back as the door crept further open, light spilling in from beyond. She could feel her heart start to speed up as she started to see him coming around the door, his eyes angled towards the floor and his face giving off the feeling that he was a bit upset. 

She couldn't help but smirk as she saw how distraught he was. And as he looked up at her, expecting a vampire most likely, and went positivle pale, her smirk widened into an absolute grin. And just as suddenly as it had dawned on her that she had no idea what she was going to say to the guard, that inner calm took over and guided her along the way. 

"Hey there hansome. What's up? You look like you've just seen a ghost." 

"Y-y-y-you're..." 

"Five by five." 

The guard couldn't help but look over her shoulder and down the passageway some, his eyes darting about. Faith simply stood there, hands infront of her, still cuffed. 


End file.
